Signal device for vehicles.



E. E. SAVAGE. SIGNAL DEVICE FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV, 1, 1912,

Patented July 22, W33.

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E. SAVAGE.

SIGNAL DEVICE FOR VEHICLES.

mmwmmu FILED NOV 1, 1912.

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Patented July 22, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 EPI'LIER E. SAVAGE, 'OF ASBURY PARK, NEW JERSEY:

SIGNAL DEVIdEj FOR VEHICLES.

Specification bf Letters Patent.

' Patented J my 42,1913.

Application filed November L 1912. Serial N 0. 729,182.

To all whom it mayconcem:

Be it known that I, EPILIER 'E. SAVAGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Asbury Park, in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, have invented cer tam new and useful Improvements in Signal Devices for Vehicles, of which the followingis a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

his invention relates to improvements in signaling devicesfor vehicles and has for its.

primary object to provide a device of this character for use upon automobiles and other motor driven vehicles whereby" motorists may be notified of the drivers intentions with regard to the direction in twhichthe machine is to be turned.

Another object of the invention is to provide .a device of this character which may be readily converted from a day into a night signal or vice versa. 7

Another and more specific object of the invention resides in the provision of a lamp box, a rotatable pintle and door fiXed thereto, a second door loosely mounted upon the pintle, means for connecting said latter door to the first door of the lamp case, and means to be actuated by the driver to rotate said pintle and swing one or both of said doorsto its open position.

' A still further object of the invention is to produce a signaling device of the above char acter which consists of comparatively few elements of simple form, durable in ,construction and eflicient in operation and which may be manufactured and installed upon various types of motor vehicles at com-paratively smallco'st' (With the above and other objects in view as will become apparentas the description proceeds,-th e inventiomconsistsnn certain constructions, combinations and arrangements of the parts-that I fully describe and claim. "Fora full understanding,

scription and accompanying drawings, ,in

Figure l is a side elevation of. the: chassis of a motor driven vehicle plan View; Fig. 3 1s a rear elevation; 4 is a perspective )LIQW showlng the position of the foot lever'when the doors of the lamp casing have een moved to their-open posishall hereinafter of the invention, reference is to be had to the following depro-videdwith my 7 improved signaling device; Fig. 2 is a top tion; and F igi- 5 is a horizontal section through the lamp.

Referring in detail to the drawings, C indicates the chassis or frame ofa motor driven vehicle and F the floor thereof. Upon the rear end of the vehicle body and at each side thereof, a lamp L is mounted in any preferred manner, said lamps being preferably arranged approximately upon'the level of the wheel uards.

Each 0 the lamps. consists of a sheet metal casing 5 which is provided in its inner side walls. with an uncolored. plate v of glass or other transparent material indicated at 6. The light rays are projected through these glass plates upon the license plate indicated at P wliichjs suitably arranged upon the vehicle between the'lamps.-

each lamp' casing is pro- The rear side of vided with a door 7 which normally closes the lamp casing. upper end of a rotatable rod or pintle 8,

said pint-1e being. suitably mounted in bcar-' ings provided upon the lamp case. A second door 9 is loosely'mounted at 'eneof its edges upon the rod or pintle 8; The lower edge of this latter door terminates a slight This door is fixed to the distance above the lower edge of the'oute'r door 7. Tothe inner face o-f'the, door Tone end of a coil spring 10 isfastened; the other end of said spring being fixed to thead'acent side wall of the .lamp case 5, t-1 is spring normally acts to hold ,the door '7 in its ,closed the pint-1e 8. The free edgefof the innerdoor 9 is provided with air eye 11 to ireceive a hook 12 on the lampcasing or a hook 13 attached to the free edge-of the outer door The 'pintle rod 8 is extended downwardly position and preventrotati'on of below the lamp and has its lower end "seated a step bearing providedlupongthe bdttoni of a rectangular casing" 14; Upon the-lower end of said rod'andwithin the casing 1a,;a peripherally grooved wheel., or' g matey v15 {is fixed. One end of a chain, cable 'orother; flexible connection indicat ruched. to 'the' whcelrat-land is w g maaas around the same several times. The other end of this chain extends through an a ien" ing in one wall of the casing 14 and is connected to the end of a. rod 17. It is of 20 which extends through an openin in the floor F. This pedal provided Wit a lug 21 which is adapted to be received in a notch or recess 22 in. the edge of the floor opening to hold said pedal in its depressed position. One end ofa coil spring 23 is connected to the horizontal arm of the bell crank lever 18 and has its other end fixed to the vehicle floor. The depending arm of the lever 18 is provided with a plurality of openings 24 for the adjustable connection of the rods 17 thereto whereby the extent of m vement of said upon the depression of the foot pedal may be regulated.

Breach of the lamp casings 5 inwardly of the doors 7 and 9, sheet of glass or other transparent materi is arranged and suitably secured to the side walls of the lamp casing. It usual to provide upon motor vehicles at the rear thereof and upon the left side, a red light, and the transparent pl in the lamp case on the left side will therefore be colored green while the plate in the lamp c on the right willbe colored red. The opggosed faces of the doors 7 and 9 are painted or otherwise colcred red. v In the operation of the invention as-a day 5-" signal, the inner door 9 isconnected at its free edge to the lamp casing 5 by means of the hook and eye 1:2 and 11. Thus when the operator depresses the pedal 20 with his foot, the rod 1'7 which is connected there to is pulled forwardly and the cable or flexible connection 16 unw und from the periphery of the wheel 15, t ereby rotating.

the pintle rod and swinging the outer door 7 to its open position. W'hen this door has" thus been opened, the red inner surface thereof and the red outer surface ofthe door 9 serve as a signal flag and indicatethat the driver intends turning the-machine to the left or right, as thecasemay'loe. .The door 7 maybe held open bysimply forcing the upper end of tliepedal 20. forwardly .and engaging the'lug 2l=thereof in the notch 22 in the vehicle floor. When the pedal 20 is released, the spring l0.- actst0 immediately return the door 7 t-o-its closed position andagain wind the chain 16 upon the periphery of the Whee115. In. the use of the device as anight signal, thedoors 7 and 9. are connected for unitary m'ov'eginent by engagingthe hook 13 in the eye 11 so that when the 'pintle rod 8 is rotated in the manner above explained, both Qdoor'sj awill bejsvvung to their open positions so that the *ligllt of the damp seenlthrough the coloredplates 25 will indicate to a erson in the rear in which direction the diiver intends to turn the vehicle. By providing the green colored late 25in; the lamp case on the left, liability of confusion owin "to the ordinary danger signal light carrier? vehicle at this' iioint, is obvi ted;

iinprovedsignaling device will be clearly understood. The boxror casingl l for the pulley 15 "is supported upon an angular bracket casing. Either or; the signaling devices may be quickly operated and is at all'timesrunder the controlof the driver of the vehicle so 7 that his intentions with regard to the direche variously modified as required by the particular circumstances, without departing from the essential features or sacrificing any {ofthe advantages thereof. I.

,'Havi1i%'thus described the in\' ention,what i's'cl'ai'me i l f I 1. In. a signaling device of the character described,,independently movable signal carrying"-'elemc nts, an. additional stationary; signaling-element normally hidden from vie-why said movable signal. elements, operating means -ioi moving one of the signal *a'rr'yingflemehts with respect to the otherelements forsimultaneous inovernent upon the 'actuationof saidoperating means to capose the stationary signal to view.

2. In a signaling device of-the character described a. lamp Tease, a "rotary .pintle mounted .upon said case, a door fiiiedto the the pintle, means to connect said diiors fin? rotate said pintle;

' 3. In a signali'n device ofzthe character described-a pair 0 hingedly mounted doors having a common pintle, one ofi said doors by :the'

pintle, a second door loosely mounted upon,

.From the foregoing, it is believed that the I construction and'manner of operation of my late 26 .which' is secured to the vehicle bo y andto the bottom of said box or ti0n,-it will be obvious that the same may v v v1'15 to displaythe' s'ignalsparriedby both of said elements, and means for connecting said 13o unitary movement, and actuating, means to j being movable with respect to the other, said doors bein provided, upon their opposed faces with .s'ignalin means, a stationary signal nqr rnall hidden by one of the doors when in its c osed osition, operating means for rotating the' pintle of said doors to move one of them to its open position to display the signaling means carried by said doors, and means for connecting said doors for movement as a unit to display the stationary signal. J i

4. In a signalmg device of the character described, a lam case, a rotary pintle mounted upon said case, a door fixed to said pintle, a second door loosely mounted upon the pintle, means to attach said latter door at its free edge to the lamp case or to the first named door for unitary movement therewith, the opposed faces of said doors bein similarly colored means connected to the rst named door to normally hold the same in closed position, and manually operable means for rotating saidpintle.

5. In a signaling device of the character described, a lame case, a rotjpi stle mounted upon said cast; a do r fixed to pintle, a second door loosely mounted at one of its edges upon the pintle, leans for at taching the latter door at its free edge to the lamp case or to said first named door the opposed faces of said doors being simiiarlv colored, a colored transparent plate mounted in the lamp ease a peripherally grooved wheel fixed to one end of the pintle, a longitudinally movable rod, a flexible connection between said rod and said wheel a bell crank lever, said rod being adjusta iy eonnected to said lever, and a foot pedal connected to said lever to move said rod and rotate the pintle whereby one or Tooth 'oi the lamp doors may be moved to than. open position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the JI'QSCDCL: of two witnesses.

PILIER E. SAVAGE.

VVitnesse/s EDMONIA Swims, Fmnons Tnomrson. 

